The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From the Tree
by Firefly457
Summary: Marina Aquato, daughter of Raz and Lili, is a camper at Whispering Rock when it reopens. But at a place she expects to be dull, will she be able to unlock secrets never meant to be discovered? And will she help save the world or help dominate it? NG story
1. 1: The Gift No Aquato Should Possess

**Disclaimer: Psychonauts © Tim Schafer**

**A/N: My first Psychonats fanfic in a few years. Be kind please!!**

O n e

The Gift that No Aquato Should Bear

I'm what you might call a "bastard" child. My father never married my mother, although he did feel free to fill her thought with false promises and hopes that would never come true. You see, my parents were the Sasha Nein and Milla Vodello of their generation. That's right, my parents were Razputin Aquato and Lili Zanotto. My father never found out about me. My mother never wanted him to know. I was an accident, a mistake to both the Aquato family and the Zanotto family. But my mother never even considered an abortion or adoption, even though she was two weeks shy of her eighteenth birthday when I was born. When I was little, she was more like my best friend than my mother. We lived with my Grandfather in Texas in his 6 bedroom 3 bathroom house. During the summer, however, I sometimes traveled with my Grandapa (my father's father) and my father's siblings, my aunt Ophelia and my uncle Raphael. My mother's family is very small...and, besides my mother and grandfather, hated my guts for almost ruining the Zanotto name, even though I took my father's name. But my father's family, especially two of my cousins, Justin, who was 17, two years my senior, and Alora, ten years my junior, loved me to pieces. Justin was Aunt Ophelia's eldest son. He was the "artistic" one in that part of the family. Which is pretty weird because I grew up (partially) in a family of acrobats, lion tamers, and elephant caretakers. I didn't really talk much to her other children because the older ones were busy working on their techniques for that night's show and the younger ones were too busy clinging to their mother and father to pay me any mind most of the time. Alora was the youngest of my Uncle Raphael's family. She was five years old and simply adorable. Justin had his father's dirty blonde hair that reached his shoulders and my grandpa's "tallness" gene which made him tower over most everyone in our family. He had my Aunt Ophelia's dark blue eyes, but my Uncle Dominique's smile and tan skin. Alora had my uncle's (and father's) jade green eyes and her mother's pale skin.

There was one thing that Alora and I could do that no other psychic in our family could do. We could move water and make ice with our thoughts. Which were called hydrokinesis (the ability to manipulate water) and cryokenisis (the ability to manipulate ice). That made us a little...weird. That also made me a bit of an outcast in my mother's family because few people could do it in the _world_. Then we found out that the Galochio's, my father's family's enemy, were particularly famous for that ability. When we had time, Alora and I would put on water shows for the younger kids and Justin when we were bored. She was pretty good at it, but I was much better. I could twist the water and ice to make people and animals and icons. I could easily walk on water and dance along it.

I loved to dance. Dancing made my problems go far, far away. The more I danced, the further into my imagination I soared. Alora called me "the maiden of the sea" because my water "bending" reminded her of an old legend Grandpa had told us when we were little. Also, it was what my name meant in Russian. I had an embarrassing habit. I liked to strip my clothes and dance around invisibly while making ice and water figures dance around me. It was relaxing, but thankfully no one knew I did it, not even Alora. Things were so perfect in my life. I may not have had many friends, but I was happy. Then my grandfather, my mother's father, got a "wonderful" idea. One that my mother, my grandpa, and my Uncle Raphael agreed with. One that I hated with every fiber of my being. They decided that Alora and I would be the first campers to participate in the two month reopening of Whispering Rock Psychic Summer Camp, the camp where my parents first met.

0O0O0

I threw my bags into the back of my mother's car with aggression. I was angry with my entire family, except Alora. Even Justin had betrayed me by giving the idea to my Grandpa and Uncle Raphael. I wasn't talking to anyone except my sweet, loyal cousin. She was scared about going to a camp. She didn't have any friends, she never had. Not many people want to be friends with a "circus freak". My mom tried to tell her that at this camp she would make new friends, but I couldn't tell her otherwise. I wasn't that cruel. I knew in my heart that it was only a matter of time before she too turned against me. I wouldn't blame her.

"How long are you going to give me the cold shoulder?" Justin asked. I ignored him. He punched my shoulder playfully and grabbed me into a choker hold.

"JUSTIN!" I screamed.

"You know that this will be for your own good! Alora's too!"

"Then why doesn't she just go?!" I asked trying to wrestle away.

"Because you need it, you antisocial bitch!" He said. Justin weighed a good thirty pounds more than me, so I wasn't getting away.

"Did you just call me a bitch?" I asked him.

"Yep." He laughed. I threw water at him from the stream next to the campsite. He laughed even more.

"Marina!" Grandpa called from the caravan. "Come here, I want to talk to you." Justin picked me up and shoved me towards the caravan.

I entered the caravan and sat down on the floor in front of my Grandpa's chair.

"Marina, what is troubling you?" He asked.

"Nothing." I said. Of course he didn't believe me. He was a psychic after all. "Grandpa?" I asked.

"Yes?"

"Where is my father?" I finally asked. A safe question. "Why did he leave my mother?" That was a more difficult question.

"Your father is in Australia...at least he was the last time I heard from him. He left because the older he became, the more he believed that he was too good for this life. He wanted to be famous, to have his face plastered on _True Psychic Tales Magazine_ and travel the world doing fantastic missions and save important people. Marina, has Truman ever told you about the accident?"

"What accident?" I asked as a reply. My grandfather never told me anything about an accident.

"Well," He sighed, "From along the grapevine, I heard that my son, your father, was in a terrible accident. There was some brain damage, but it wasn't serious. It just messed with his memories a bit. When your mother tried to contact him, he never replied. He left and no one has heard from him since. That was when your mother was three months pregnant with you. Your father, whether meaning to or not, left her alone with barely anything. She had no where to go but to her father's house or New York. She had 200, a bus ticket to New York City, the necklace that she had gotten for her seventeenth birthday from your father, and the promise ring that he had given her before he left. She changed her mind at the last minute, got a refund on that bus ticket, and moved back into her father's home. Then you were born." He smiled. "And your mother decided that the ring and necklace were rightfully yours." I touched the necklace that hung around my neck. It was a tarnished silver flower necklace with a dark blue stone in the middle. The clasp had been broken even when my mother gave it to me for my thirteenth birthday. It sometimes came undone and the necklace would slide off my neck, most of the time I never really noticed it was gone. The ring was also...broken. My mother said it was like that when she had gotten it. The diamond was missing and the silver was tarnished so badly, it was almost bronze and silver at the same time. It had cost my father every penny to his name, or at least that was what I was told.

"Will I ever get to meet him?" I asked. Grandpa laughed.

"Marina, Fate is a funny thing." he told me. "Some psychics can see into the future, yet they don't know a blasted thing about what will happen! You may meet your father one day or maybe you will never see him in your entire life. It is all up to Fate to decide."

"I guess you're right." I mused.

"You know, going to this camp will open so many doors, Marina." He sighed. "If you just keep helping out here during the summer, you will get nowhere. If you work at strengthening your powers, who knows what the future will hold for you! Besides, you need to at least be there for Alora."

"But Grandpa, it's two months!" I whined.

"Marnia Lili Aquato," He said sternly, "you are going. You are going to make friends. You are going to strengthen your pyrokinesis and dazzle all with your hydrokinesis and cryokinesis. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, sir." I sighed. He touched my shoulder lovingly.

"Marina, I think it is time." He reached into a drawer in the end table next to his chair and pulled out a pair of red goggles. He handed them to me. "These were your father's when he was a little younger than you. Before he left, he left them in my care. Now it is time for them to be yours."

"Grandpa...I...I don't know what to say." I gasped.

"Promise me that you will write me letters from camp."

"Promise." I said. I slipped the goggles on and used them as a headband to keep my hair back. My mother honked the horn from outside. "Goodbye," I said.

"Goodbye for now." he smiled. He opened the door using telekinisis and I got up and left. Justin was in the front seat with my mother and Alora was in the backseat. I sat down next to her and turned around so I could look out the back window. I watched the circus grow smaller and smaller until I couldn't see it any longer.


	2. 2: Agent Razputin Aquato

**Disclaimer: Psychonauts © Tim Schafer**

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to my friend, Lyre-19, who helped me write this and come up with the characters. **

T w o

Agent Raz Aquato, Nightmare Specialist

After eight hours of driving, we finally made it to Whispering Rock. It wasn't too hot, but my shirt still stuck to me from being in the car for so long. I was thankful to be able to strech my legs. Alora was cute, but she could talk your ear off if you let her. I took of my goggles and brushed my hair back. I placed the goggles back on my head. I saw people everywhere. According to my mother, we were part of an experiment. Only the children of previous campers, relatives, and maybe one other kid whose parents knew my father were allowed at the camp. Mom said that the previous campers were alright, but some weren't too...great. If I hadn't of promised to rough it out here, I would leave or maybe even run away.

"Sasha!" My mother called, "Milla!" I snapped out of my daze and noticed four people coming towards us. I realized that it was Sasha and Milla Nein and their children. Sasha was a pretty good looking guy. Dark hair, dark clothes, dark sunglasses, an accent. He seemed a little...cold, however. No, not cold. He seemed pretty distant, even sad. His wife, however, was the exact opposite. She was sunny and happy. She glowed with positive energy and smiles. She was just about the most beautiful woman I had ever seen. Her clothes were bright and colorful like her aura. Her dress itself nearly blinded me.

"Lili,darling," She called in a musical voice, "It really has been too long."

"Yeah," Mom laughed halfheartedly. "This is my daughter, Marina, my niece, Alora, and my nephew, Justin."

"Are you all staying for the summer?" Sasha asked. Mom shook her head.

"Only Marina and Alora. Justin is helping them get settled in."

"These are our children, Brian and Amelia." Milla introduced.

"Sasha picked the names?" Mom asked knowingly smiling as she spoke. Milla shot her a look that said, "_obviously"_.

"Hi." Amelia said. I was a little taken back at how..._shy_ she was. Well, she wasn't shy, but I was expecting her to be a little more bold like her mother. She had beautiful bright green eyes like her mother and also her long wavy dark hair. Unlike her mother, however, she was wearing jeans and sneakers instead of a dress and gogo boots. Brian, however, took after his father apparently. He was quiet and had a bit of a glare in his eyes. He had black hair like his father, but it was shaggy. He had his mother's green eyes, but his father's mouth and jaw. He had baggy jeans with one ripped knee and a black t-shirt that said _Tell Someone Who Cares_ on the front. He had dark oil splotches on his jeans and one on his cheek.

"Uh..." I said.

"What?" He growled. I licked my thumb and rubbed his cheek. He jumped back like I burned him. His eyes were wild and wide with shock.

"You had oil on your cheek." I said smiling. Amelia and their parents smiled jokingly. Brian wiped his cheek with his hand.

"Well, I didn't want your slobber on my face!" He snapped.

"Brian Sasha Nein!" His mother gasped. I shrugged. Someone laughed.

"Jeez, Brian, you're quite the lady-killer!"

"Buzz off, Lutefisk!" He growled. A blonde girl walked towards us. She had very light skin and long shaggy blonde hair that hung in her blue eyes. She had ripped and frayed jeans and a blue t-shirt. An evil smile was on her lips.

"Now, Brian," She sighed, "That's not very nice. You shouldn't talk to a lady like that."

"Didn't know you were a lady!" He huffed.

"Brian," Sasha said warningly.

"Who are you?" The girl asked.

"Marina Aquato." I answered, "you?"

"Sam Lutefisk, at your service." She smiled. "So you are the famous Marina my dad's talked about. Well, he's mentioned that you were the famous Lili Zanotto's daughter anyway." She stretched. "And who are you?" She asked looking at Alora.

"Alora Oceana Aquato." She said. "I'm Marina's cousin!" She added proudly.

"Aw, you're so cute!" Amelia said kneeling down. Alora beamed proudly. I laughed at this. Brian shot me a dirty look.

"_You have to forgive Brian," _Sam said mentally_, "There's no telling how far that stick is shoved up his ass_." We both laughed. Brian scowled at us. His sister and his parents, not to mention my cousins and mother, heard it but he did. Sam didn't notice, or at least she didn't care. Instead, she shot me a huge grin. "Come on," She said, "I'll show you around camp." She grabbed my hand and pulled me away from the Neins, Justin, and my mother. Alora grabbed my other hand and was yanked along with me.

0O0O0

Sam walked us through the camp, stopping every so often to point out new campers, old campers, and "camp landmarks, adding her own comments to all when we were out of range for people to hear.

"That's Kitty Bubai, one of the biggest whores that has ever atteded camp. The girl our age beside her, is her daughter, Kimmi. She's just like her mother. Next to her, is her younger sister, Mercedez. Avoid her, kid." She said to Alora. "She's bad news. As for you, Marina," She said warningly, "Kimmi already hates your guts, just because you are Lili Zanotto's daughter. They were old rivals 'back in the day' so watch your back."

"Warning noted." I replied.

"Over there," She pointed, "are Julia and Jack Foote. They're the twins of Clem and Crystal Foote." I looked over to see two pale kids looking at us with blank dark eyes. Both had most of their hair dyed black, but the boy had his red roots showing and the girl had her blonde roots showing. Both had black eyeliner on and ear piercings. Julia had a black jewled skull belly button ring on and Jack had three small silver hoops and one small silver stud in one ear. The other had a matching stud in. Julia had matching skull earrings and hair bands in her pigtails. Both wore dark black clothing and looked more like they were at a funeral instead of a summer camp. It was ironic because their parents looked happy and wore no piercings and had on bright colorful clothing.

"Sam!" Julia shouted. "You're at this hellhole too?"

"Yeah," Sam replied. Julia held up a bag.

"Luckily, Mom and Dad let us bring our voodoo kits."

"You do voodoo?" I asked.

"Yeah, is that so weird?" Jack snapped protectively.

"What?" I asked, "No way! My father's half of the family are gypsies. I've been making voodoo dolls and learning spells since I was five."

"Really?" Julia asked excitedly. "That's so cool!"

"I guess." Jack said shrugging his shoulders.

"HEY!!" Someone shouted. A girl with red hair in a braid ran towards us.

"Hey, Delilah!" Sam shouted. "You made it!"

"Amen, girl!" The girl laughed. "Daddy and Uncle Chops wouldn't let me miss a second! Who's this?"

"Yeah," Julia asked.

"This is my friend, Marina Aquato and her cousin, Alora." Sam introduced. "As you know, Marina, this is the Footes, Julia and Jack. And this is Delilah Hoofburger, JT Hoofburger's daughter and Chops Sweetwind's adopted daughter."

"Howdy." Delilah said.

"Yeah," Julia smiled. For a goth girl, she was awfully friendly. We all walked through camp. Sam introduced me to the campers, old and new. Most were pretty nice actually. I had a good feeling about this place.

When we got to the lake, Sam hesitated. Jack, Julia, and Delilah looked at me with anticipation.

"What?" I asked.

"You aren't afraid?" Sam asked.

"Of what? Sand?" I laughed. Alora laughed with me.

"The lake." Julia said. "When he was hear, you father told everyone that his family and their descendants were doomed to die in water."

"The Galochio's Curse?" I said. "That's not real!"

"It isn't?" Jack asked. He was clearly dissapointed.

"I've been on the swim team since I was five." I said. "I love the water. So does Alora." I looked at my cousin, but she was gone. Already she was running to the lake. I shook my head. "See?"

"Sweet, then you'll be able to go to the Hedgemouses' party tonight." Sam cheered.

"_IF_," Julia said, "we can distract Brian and Amelia. It won't be a piece of cake."

"What's his problem?" I asked.

"I dunno." Sam said. "He's been like that since kindergarten. The first day his parents dropped him off and left in a hurry. He has two older sisters, Amelia and Angelina. Amelia is sixteen, one year older; Angelina is nineteen, four years older. Angelina just got accepted into the academy and she's a part-time Psychonaut. She's obviously Sasha's favorite. Amelia, I think, is Milla's favorite. I don't think they _mean_ to have favorites, they just do. Same with most kids who have brothers and sisters. No offense, guys." She said to Jack and Julia.

"Non taken." Jack said. Delilah squeeled with joy.

"_**Boris!!**_" She shouted. "Boris Bulgakov! Come here, you!"

"God!" Sam shouted putting her hands over her ears. "Damn, Delilah, what the..."

"My poor ears!" Julia said.

"Sorry y'all." Delilah blushed. "That wasn't very proper."

Two boys approached us. The older one was our age with dark skin, hazel eyes and very dark hair that was a blackish brown. He had on baggy jeans, a black t-shirt, and black sneakers. The younger boy was Alora's age with light, almost white hair and bright blue eyes. He had on a camp t-shirt and shorts.

"Hello," The older boy said in a strange accent that seemed a cross between Midwestern and Russian. "Delilah, you do know that you do not need to scream across the camp I doubt your father would approve."

"Sorry," Delilah laughed.

"Who is your friend?" He asked.

"Boris, this is Marina Aquato, the daughter of Lili Zanotto and Agent Aquato. Marina, this is Boris Bulgakov, the son of Mikhail Bulgakov and the adopted son of Maloof Canola."

"It is a pleasure to meet you." Boris said.

"Who's _your_ friend?" Delilah asked. The boy hid behind Boris's leg.

"This is Ross Whytehead Cooper." Boris said, "He is the adopted son of Boyd Cooper and Fred Bonaparte." I remembered that they were the people who knew my father and were able to send their son here because of that.

"Hi." I said kneeling down. He ducked back behind Boris. "My name's Marina." I caught Alora's eye and motioned for her to return.

"H-hi." He choked.

"Ross, this is my cousin, Alora." I said when she reached us. Alora looked at Ross with wide eyes. Her cheeks turned a rosy pink color.

"Hi." She said very softly. Ross looked at her and his pale cheeks turned pink as well. I smiled. I helped Alora make a friend. My grandpa would be proud.

"Wanna go see if Linda will come out?" He asked.

"Sure!" Alora ran off with him.

"Linda?" I asked.

"Mutated Lungfish." Sam replied nonchalantly. "Really friendly. Fun to talk to."

"Oh." I sighed in relief. "Wait, what?!"

0O0O0

We walked back to the main cabin to find out who got assigned to what cabin. Sam was tense. She really didn't want to share a cabin with the Hedgemouse girls.

"Marina, read it for me. I can't!" She moaned. Jack, Julia, Delilah, and Boris didn't want to read it either.

"Okay...'Cabin A: Marina Aquato, Samantha Lutefisk, Delilah Hoofburger, and Kimmi Bubia.'"

"NO!! Oh, what a world!" Sam moaned. I laughed.

"I'm kidding. The last name is Julia Foote."

"Thank God!" Sam sighed.

"'Cabin B'" Delilah read, "'Amelia Nein, Maria Fir, Avery Tripe, and Josie Hedgemouse.' That's good. Josie is a lot better than Carly. Especially when it's just her. 'Cabin C: Bailey Ziltch, Kimmi Bubai, Carly Hedgemouse, and Adel Tripe.'"

"Poor Adel."

"'Cabin D'" Boris read, "Oh no."

"What?" Sam asked.

"Listen. 'Brian Nein,'"

"I feel sorry for you." I said. I finished reading. "'Boris Bulgakov, Jack Foote, and BJ Fideleo.' Looks like they had some other guy, and then used White-Out on his name and added Jack's."

"That's because Jack can't get along with Josie and Carly's older brother." Julia said, "'Cabin E: Nemo Fir, Mick Hedgemouse, Braxton Ziltch, and Bradley Boole.' Poor, simple Bradley."

"'Cabin F: Will Fideleo, Ross Cooper, Laken Fir, and Braden Tripe.' I feel sorry for anyone who has to share a cabin with Will. Doesn't he have ADHD?" Sam asked.

"I'm not sure." Julia replied. I read the last cabin.

"'Alora Aquato, Amy Hedgemouse, and...' Oh no! Mercedez Bubia! That's not good."

"Sorry," Sam said.

"Alora's tough, she can handle it." I said. I hoped that I was right.

After reading the list, which Milla later announced on the intercom, we headed to the campfire area where I met up with my mother. I told her about what I learned at camp and told her about my new friends.

"I told you that you would make some friends." She said. "They even live pretty close to us too, so you can see them after camp is over." The projector flickered to live.

"The human mind..." A deep voice read. Suddenly, a short man who looked like he was from the military began a long speech about the brain and the Psychonauts. However, when he reached a part about fighting the enemy in their own mind, someone from behind us began mimicking him.

"Stop that!" The man, whom my mother told me was called Coach Oleander, shouted. "Well," he huffed. "Since your new councilor is so impatient for me to introduce him, why don't I do it now."

"_This is it_!" Sam said to me mentally.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I introduce you to...Agent Razputin Aquato!" He motioned for us to turn around. "Our resident nightmare specialist!" Everyone but my mother and me cheered. Agent Aquato, my father, smiled at everyone.

"Hi," He said, "Welcome to Whispering Rock."


	3. The Battlefield Part 1

**Disclaimer: Psychonauts © Tim Schafer**

**A/N: This chapter is dedicated to Darth Avery for being the first (and so far only) reviewer and Lyre-19 for helping me write this!**

T h r e e

The Battlefield- Part 1

To say my mother was upset isn't enough. My mother was _livid_. She jerked Sasha and Milla into the Councilors' cabin and began ranting and screaming the second we got in there.

"How could you not tell me that Raz was here?" She demanded.

"Lili, darling, we thought Truman told you." Milla said. "We're sorry."

"Mom, Alora and I are still staying here, aren't we?" I asked.

"Can you handle it?" Mom asked. "I mean, this is your father, Rina. I won't force you to stay. I'm not even sure I _want_ you to stay now."

"But I have friends now!" I argued. "Sam and Julia...Delilah, Boris, Jack...Alora has Ross now and she _likes _him, Mom. Like, _like_ like too!"

"Fine," She sighed. "Does he know about her?" She asked Sasha.

"Almost seventeen years ago when he first got amnesia," He explained, "he couldn't remember a thing. With each passing day, Razputin remembers more and more. But right now his memories stop at age 13. He does not remember anything past that. The good thing about the amnesia however is that his hydrophobia is completely cured now."

"Hey," my father walked in, completely oblivious to our conversation. "The campers are getting pretty restless...do I know you?" He asked my mother. She looked at him for a moment.

"My name is Lili Zanotto." She said quietly. I couldn't tell if she was sad or angry.

"Lili?" My father recognized her...barely. He looked at me. "Who's this?"

"My daughter." Mom said.

"D-daughter?" My father said. It never crossed his mind that I might have been his too.

"Marina." I said. "My name is Marina...Marina Aquato. I'm your daughter too."

"W-what?" He gaped at my mother.

"It's true, Raz. She's our daughter." She said.

"Why didn't anyone told me?" He asked Milla and Sasha.

"Darling, we weren't allowed. Truman didn't want us too." Milla said.

"_**What?!**_"My mother gasped. "You mean to tell me that my _father_ never wanted him to know that we had a daughter together!?" I smiled bitterly. Grandfather was really in for it when she got home.

"Raz, darling, why don't you and Marina get to know each other while we calm Lili down." Milla said.

"Sure." My father and I walked out of the cabin.

We walked down the dirt path towards the lake. At first we didn't really say anything. I didn't really blame him. I mean, this poor guy barely remembers anything and now he found out his boss kept a daughter from him for the past fifteen years.

"You're...fifteen?" He asked.

"I'll be sixteen in October. October 16th." I corrected. He nodded.

"Oh." He sighed. "Do you have any brothers or sisters?"

"No, but I have twelve cousins on your side of the family." I said. "My aunt, your sister, has six kids and she's gonna have her seventh in July. My uncle Raphael has six. My cousin, Alora, is his youngest. She's here with me." I added.

"The small little girl with the brown hair in a bun?" He asked.

"Yeah." I said. "How did you know?"

"She has my brother's eyes and ears. Her mother is Vera isn't she?"

"Yeah." I said.

"She's been after Raph since he was eight." My dad laughed. He looked off into the distance like he was remembering something. "Do you have the curse?"

"The Galochio Curse?" I asked.

"Yeah, the one that isn't real."

"Nah," I laughed. "I've been on my hometown's swim team since I was five." I looked across the lake and saw a small house. He saw my look at it.

"I had that built seven summers ago." He said. "I had part of the rock torn away and put in stairs. I tore down part of the insane asylum's ruins so I could put that house up."

"Who lives there?" I asked.

"I do."

"I thought you lived in Australia." I asked. He shook his head.

"Not anymore. I moved back to the States seven years ago. I built that house and now I live with Linda, Sam, and Sheegor."

"Sam?" I asked. Surely this wasn't the same Sam I had just met.

"Long story short, he's Sheegor's talking pet turtle. Sheegor is Sasha's old lab assistant. Now she's kinda like my housekeeper." He laughed.

"Why doesn't she help Sasha now?" I asked.

"He's got Brian now." Dad shrugged.

"Why do you live with a talking mutated lungfish?" I asked.

"You're a bundle of questions aren't you?" He laughed. "Linda is an old friend of mine. She helped me save camp a few years ago back when I went here. We've been close ever since. She doesn't hurt anyone, so the Agency lets me keep her here on one condition. She stays on my half of the lake during the day, and at night she kinda has the run of the place. So don't be afraid if you see a hulking 'monster' in the woods at night. What is your best power?"

"Hydrokinesis and Cryokinesis." I answered. "My worst is pyrokinesis."

"You're out of luck then." He said. "No one here can help you strenghten your hydrokinesis anymore. But if you'd like, I could help you with your pyrokinesis."

"Thanks. Are you going to teach a class here?"

"Yeah," He replied. He ran a hand through his brownish red hair. "The Agency wants me to teach a class on how to protect you guys from nightmares. Do you have nightmares?"

"Not really." I shrugged. "What other classes are here?" He pulled out a schedule.

"The older kids have Basic Braining tomorrow morning, then Leviatation after lunch. If your lucky, you'll get to use the Brain Tumbler with Sasha if he likes you. Then you have Marksmenship practice. Don't break the switch like I did when I was ten. Then my class the next morning. The little kids have a playing period tomorrow morning, then Basic Braining. They have my class after lunch. They don't really have any classes until the next morning. Since they are younger, things will go slower since they don't really need to know any powers yet. For you guys, however, things will be faster because you need to learn more powers and strengthen your weaker ones."

"What's Coach Oleander's mind like?" I asked.

"The battlefield?" He asked. "He's letting the little kids use the same course he had when I was ten, but for you guys..." He laughed, "He said he had a surprise for you guys."

"That's not a good thing is it?" I asked with dread. He only laughed as an answer.

By the time we got back to the cabin, my mother was already leaving. I walked her and Justin to her car and by the time I got back to my cabin, the sun had already set.

"What are you doing out here?"Brian snapped stepping out from behind a tree near the cabins.

"What are you doing out here?" I asked.

"Amelia and I patrol the camp for awhile at night." He replied. "We look for campers who are out after dark so we can give them demerits for breaking the rules."

"I was walking with Agent Aquato, then I walked my mother and cousin to her car." I snapped angrily. "I was just heading to my cabin!"

"Look, Aquato." He said. "Just because your grandfather is Truman Zanotto doesn't mean you can do what you want at this camp!"

"I don't want to. I never even thought that. You're paranoid!" I shoved him out of the way and walked off.

"I'm watching you!" He shouted. In return, I flipped him off as I walked away.

I opened the cabin door and slammed it behind me. Julia, Delilah, and Sam had already begun adding personal touches to it already. The cabin was pretty basic. It was about 9 feet by 11 feet and a little smaller than my bedroom. The wall was half wood, half chicken wire. There was four very small cheap dressers in the corner, one for each girl. Two bunk beds were in the room, one on each side. Sam was on the top of the left side, Delilah was on the top of the right side and Julia was on the bottom of the right side. The girls had begun pinning posters and pictures to the chicken wire and wood. Delilah had pictures of hockey players on her part of the wall and photos of herself with two men, one with a cowboy hat and the other with a green looking afro and a hockey jersey. Sam had posters of Maroon 5 and Bowling for Soup on her area. There were also pictures of her and her father together. Her mother was absent from all the photos. On Julia's area, she had beads hung on the wall and underneath Delilah's bed. She had handwritten spells and symbols written on paper and pinned to the wall. I knew a little voodoo so I knew she had good luck spells on the wall.

"Look who's back." Sam said. "Hope you don't mind being on bottom."

"Don't matter." I said.

"What's wrong?" Julia asked.

"Nothing." I said.

"Boy trouble?" She laughed.

"Brian Nein trouble." I growled. I turned invisible and pulled my clothes off so I could get my pajamas on. "What is his problem anyway?"

"I dunno," Delilah said. "I heard my dad talking to Uncle Chops a few years back. I think Brian went to a clinic a few years ago. Drug addiction, you know. But I'm not entirely sure." I pulled on a pair of pajama pants and one of Justin's old baggy t-shirts.

"You're kidding me!" I said sitting down on my bunk. I looked at my cabin mates. Julia was wearing an all black ensemble of black shorts and a tight black tank top with a skull on them. Delilah had on an extremely long purple jersey that reached her ankles and her hair was pulled back into a loose bun. Sam let her blonde hair hang in her eyes and wore a light blue baggy t-shirt and white basketball shorts.

"Better not let him know we told you anything." She said. "Leave him alone, Marina. Getting involved with a guy like that is bad news." With that she turned out the lights.

0O0O0

Coach Oleander was a pretty short dude. He seemed pretty irritable too. It was obvious that no one liked him nearly as much as they liked my father—and he knew it too.

"I know that most of you would rather be in Agent Aquato's class right now," He said, "but my class is much more important."

"I agree."

"No back sass, Aquato! Wait, what?"

"I agree." I replied. "Learning how to go into someone's mind and use their thoughts and memories against them is so cool and is a more important than nightmare protection.

'_Smart-ass' _Julia laughed mentally.

"ENOUGH CHIT-CHAT!" Coach Oleander roared. He pulled out a cameo-green psycho-portal. "Now, unlike the course for the..._five year olds_," He grinned madly. "This will be much harder. To be frank, I don't expect any of you to pass this...besides Amelia and Brian." Brian smiled smugly.

"Come on, Coach O, I can beat your course." I laughed, "Come on, if I can clean up after elephants, I can do this."

"Alright, then." He said half angrily, half pleased. "Let's see what you can do, Aquato."

"Yeah," The girl, Bailey Ziltch laughed as Coach Oleander placed the psycho-portal on his forehead. She shot me a dirty look as a fastened my goggles. "Freak."

0O0O0

The first thing I could hear was bombs falling. I opened my eyes. Everyone was in some kind of office.

"Why are we in a dentist office?" Bailey asked.

"It's a recruiting office, kids." Oleander said from a projection.

"Who's a kid?" A boy with dark hair laughed. He looked at me and winked. I looked away. He was pretty cute. Sam shot me a warning look.

"Quiet, Hedgemouse," Oleander warned. "Now, how about one of you maggots punch me in the jaw and let's get this over with."

"You don't like smart ass teenagers do you?" Julia asked.

"No," Coach replied, "No I—." Before he could finish, Bailey had punched him and ran. Anyone with half a brain hauled ass after her. Nemo, however didn't make it and was blown into pieces.

"What the hell," I cried, "That poor kid just got killed!"

"Please," Jack scoffed, "he just had to strart over again, look." And there was Nemo Fir, looking shaken, but otherwise fine. "Come on, Julia." He grabbed Julia and took off. Julia shot us an apologetic look and ran with her brother. Then I noticed that Sam and Delilah were running off.

"Hey!" I cried after them. Everyone, including Nemo, had ran past me. I was alone. "ASSHOLES!!" I screamed after them.

Coach Oleander did not like people who was slow, so naturally, he didn't like me. I walked the whole way until he started to drop bombs a _little_ too close to me. Then I half walked, half ran. I was doing pretty well, despite Coach Oleander's constant insults about how slow I was. I thought and sorted every piece of emotional baggage I found. I didn't really meet up with anyone until I got to the minefield. There was Sam and a boy with a bright red cap.

"Come on, Bradley," Sam said. "It's not impossible!"

"What's going on?" I asked. _"Traitor_." I growled mentally. She shot me an uneasy smile.

"_Sorry."_ She thought. "Can you help?" She asked. "Bradley here keeps getting blown up."

"It's impossible to get through." He said softly.

"No it's not!" I said. I took his hand in mine. "Come on, I'll help you through the mines."

Luckily for us, the mines were big and could be spotted very easily. It only took a few minutes to get through the field. But for some reason, Bradley wanted to stay behind. He seemed to be waiting for someone. Even when we passed through the mines, he didn't go with us.

"Don't mind him," Sam explained when we left him, "He's kinda...peculiar."

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well..." She hesitated. "His dad was killed in a 'hush-hush' operation about fifteen years ago, right after he was concieved. The same operation, your dad lost his memories in, in fact. His mom completely lost it and had to be put in a mental home, run by Ross's adopted father, Fred Bonaparte. There was no one else to take him in, so his father's brother, Dogen, an old friend of your father's, took him in. But he doesn't talk much and he's always getting picked on by other people. His uncle asked me to keep an eye on him while we were in camp and especially while we were in Coach's mind. That was why I had to run out on you. Forgive me?"

"Sure," I laughed, feeling ridiculous.

We entered a new area, and the door slammed shut. I looked around and it was a burning plane.

"The plane's going down, soldiers! Hit that door and Geronimo!" Coach's silhouette announced.

"Hey, no one told me to bring a chute!" I squealed.

"Did Washington need a chute when he crossed the Delaware?" Coach asked.

"But he was in a boat...and parachutes weren't even invented yet." Sam realized.

"_**JUST JUMP!!**_" Coach Oleander roared and disappeared.

"Wow." I whispered. "He's worse than my mother on her period!" Sam giggled.

"I think he's just going through menopause." She whispered in return. Suddenly people joined us.

"Adel," One girl said, "slow down!"

"Aw, come on, Avery! No pain, no gain!" The girl, Adel, replied. She was very tall with dark skin, brown eyes, and long wavy red hair that was pulled tightly in a pony tail. She was decked out in athletic running clothes and had a competitive gleam in her eyes. Avery, the girl she was talking too, was shorter with dark skin, brown eyes, and black wavy hair that was loose and hanging on her shoulders. Unlike, Adel, she was wearing capris, a tee-shirt and sneakers. There were three people behind them. The only boy of the group was very handsome—but looked a little bit like Zac Effron, only with black hair. His skin was light and he had shiny brown eyes that made him look sexy—yet snobbish at the same time. Every thing about his clothes screamed "I'm a prick that wants to look like Zac Effron, who is gay!". One of the girls behind him looked like a real bitch. She was a little on the chubby side with bright green eyes and her hair was a mix between light brown and red. Like the boy, she had preppy clothes and looked 100 out of place in Coach Oleander's war-themed mind. The girl next to her, her twin I think, looked almost completely different. She was slender and had a decent sized rack. Her eyes were green and she had long wavy black hair that reached her hips. The theme of her outfit, unlike her sister and the boy, was more punkish than preppy.

"Hey, Sam!" Adel gleamed. She high-fived Sam. "Where have you been?"

"Eh, I showed Marina here around camp last night, then hung out with Julia and Delilah, then hit the sack. Then this morning I had to help Bradley through the course, but he wanted to stay behind at the minefield for some reason."

"Yeah, we saw him. I think he's waiting for Nemo though." Adel said. "Hey there." She said looking at me.

"Hi." I nodded.

"I'm Adel Tripe, this is my kid sister Avery." She smiled. Avery shyly waved.

"I'm Josie Hedgemouse, the girl with the long black hair smiled. "This is my twin sister Carly and my older brother Mick. I've heard quite a bit about you."

"You have?" I said in amazement.

"Yeah, your cousin is friends with my little sister, Amy." She said. "So you're the daughter of Razputin Aquato, huh?"

"Yep," I said, "That's me."

"Our parents were Quentin Hedgemouse and Phoebe Love." She said. "Adel and Avery are the daughters of Vernon Tripe and Franke Athens. Hey, where is Julia anyway?" She asked.

"Jack drug her off somewhere." I replied. She nodded.

"Doesn't surprise me," Carly said, "He's so possessive of her." She flipped her hair back.

"Hey!" Someone snapped. We turned around to see Brian and Amelia Nein. Amelia's face broke out into a big smile when she saw Avery. She rushed forward to talk to her.

"What do you want, Nein?" Mick sighed.

"You're blocking the way." Brian growled.

"_You're blocking the way_." I mimicked aloud.

"Very mature, Zanotto."

"It's Aquato, you twit." I sighed. He glared at me. Then I saw it—another grease spot. Before I could stop myself, I moved towards him, licked my thumb, and began to wipe it off. Everyone laughed and Brian's cheeks turned blood red.

"Get off me!" He said shoving me away. He wiped his cheek.

"Brian," Amelia said, "don't be rude!"

"_Bitch_," He growled mentally.

"_Cad_," I thought in return. Sam grabbed my arm.

"Come on, Rina." She said. "We don't need to stick around _him_. Later, Adel." She hit the door with her psychic fist and we were all pulled out of the plane.

I landed in snow, but the first thing I saw were combat boots, _black_ combat boots. I looked up and saw Julia.

"Hey." She said. She helped me up. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I guess." I groaned. "What happened?"

"Part of the course is catapulting out of a plane. The next part of it is target practice...but that is the part that Jack and I couldn't do."

"Hey," Sam said brushing the snow out of her hair, "why did you ditch us earlier?"

"Jack wants us to stay together when we are in other people's minds...and...he really doesn't want me hanging out with you guys." Julia managed to say. She avoided my eyes. "Sorry."

"Why does your brother not want you to hang out with us?" I asked.

"Well..." She hesitated, "Back home, not many people like us because we're different. Jack has it in his head that no one will like us here because we're different."

"That's not true!" I exclaimed. "I like you."

"So do I!" Sam said. The others were lying on the floor moaning because they landed on one big heap. "Your brother is insane!"

"Julia!" Jack shouted. "Come on, we're going to try again."

"Maybe they can help, Jack." She replied. He shook his head.

"Come on, Jack." I said. "We can help."

"We'd be...happy to." Sam forced herself to say.

"Fine." He relented. "Just stay the hell out of our way!" He approached a giant button and slammed it.

Suddenly, cardboard cutouts of soldiers popped up. I jumped back a little, shocked at first.

"Punch them!" Brian said running forward, "When you see the baby, leave it alone or you'll lose points. That's what makes this course harder!" He began swinging at the cutouts like a madman. According to him, we had to get 100 points in ten minutes or else we'd have to start over—at the beginning of the course, another new feature. It would have been easier if everyone had participated, but unfortunately they didn't. Sam, Jack, Julia, Brian, and I were the only ones fighting. The others just watched—lazy assholes. Miraculously, we got 100 points just as the timer went out. Adel and the others, however, were sent back to the beginning because they did nothing at all.

"Thanks." Jack said grudgingly.

"Hey," I suggested. "Why don't we all go together. If we work as a team, we'll beat this stupid obstacle course and we'll get to go into the rest of camp."

"Eh, whatever." He shrugged.

"What about you?" I asked Brian, "are you going to go with us?"

"Sorry, I always finish first." He said running ahead. I smiled evilly.

"Well, Brian Nein," I said softly, "Your winning streak is about to end!"

**A/N: I'm surprised I got as many reviews as I did. Lyre-19 drew some character profiles for me. It's on her DA profile. Check them out sometime. R&R okay?**


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